"Ye Chen stammered in shock.
"As long as you sign the divorce papers and leave the apartment I'm renting, whatever you want to do is your own freedom. I won't interfere, and I won't care! But are you trying to kill me and Youyou by dragging us down with you by manufacturing drugs in the apartment I rent? To think I actually believed you when you said you made a fortune finding a bargain at the Antique City! It turns out that money was your funding for manufacturing drugs, wasn't it? I imagined you might take desperate measures for money, but I never expected you to be out of your mind to this extent!"
As she spoke, Chen Yinuo's delicate body trembled violently, her voice distorted, and she plunged into a state of extreme panic.
Hearing this, Ye Chen was completely dumbfounded.
Drug funding? Out of his mind?
Did she think he was manufacturing drugs?
Seeing the sudden change in Ye Chen's expression, Chen Yinuo became even more certain of her guess.
"Are you going to silence me now? Come on, come on then, kill both me and Youyou! Anyway, after a few years of torment under you, we mother and daughter have lived enough! If you don't kill me to silence me, I'll go report you!" Chen Yinuo cried out in a shrill, piercing voice.
"Yinuo, have you been watching too many movies? What's with the drug manufacturing and silencing people? I, Ye Chen, admit that my past actions deserved death, that I was a scoundrel and a total scum. But I haven't lost my mind to the point of manufacturing drugs, let alone silencing anyone!" Ye Chen forced a bitter smile.
Without waiting for Chen Yinuo to speak again, he continued to explain, "That three hundred thousand wasn't drug money exchanged between Zhang Jingshan and me. I really did sell him an antique I picked up at a bargain in the Antique City! Also, take a close look at these materials. Do you think these things can be used to make drugs?"
Chen Yinuo froze.
Although she still firmly believed that not a single word coming out of Ye Chen's mouth was true, she nevertheless cast her gaze aside.
Looking closely, she saw that while many of the items were things she didn't recognize, she also spotted several familiar objects.
There was fresh aloe vera, opened pearl powder, peach tree leaves, vitamin E capsules, along with some tung tree flowers, ginkgo nuts, and green beans with wolfberries...
In an instant, a complex look of embarrassment appeared on her face.
Indeed, these really could not be materials used for manufacturing drugs.
"Such a nice rental apartment, and you've turned it into this mess. What on earth are you trying to do?"
Even though she knew she had misunderstood Ye Chen, Chen Yinuo's tone remained unfriendly.
"I want to formulate an ointment to help get rid of those scars on your body!" Ye Chen said.
"You're using these things to formulate an ointment to get rid of my scars?" Chen Yinuo sneered.
"Yes!" Ye Chen knew Chen Yinuo couldn't possibly believe him, but he still nodded and affirmed.
"Wishful thinking!" Chen Yinuo scoffed.
She went on, "Even if you really managed to formulate an ointment that can remove scars, do you think it can erase the scars in my heart? Can it erase the traces left by your endless domestic abuse over these past few years?"
Ye Chen remained silent.
Mostly because he knew that saying anything right now would be pale and futile.
"Hehe, saying any of this is meaningless! Twenty-five days from now, as long as you sign the divorce papers, that will be the greatest grace to me, and I will be forever grateful for your leniency! Fine, go on with whatever you're busy with. I only came back this time to pack my things!"
With a cold declaration, Chen Yinuo walked into the bedroom.
In no time at all, she stuffed some clothes and daily necessities for herself and Youyou into a suitcase and dragged it out.
"Youyou, come with Mom!"
For Chen Yinuo, facing Ye Chen for even one more second was a torment.
"Mom, can we not leave? Can we stay together with Dad?" Ye Youyou asked, pouting and shedding tears.
"Are you going to listen to me?" Chen Yinuo knitted her brows.
Ye Youyou didn't dare make a peep, but she tightly wrapped her arms around Ye Chen's neck.
"Youyou, listen to Mom and go with her first. After a while, Dad will come pick you and Mom up, and then our family of three will never be separated again!" Ye Chen put Ye Youyou down with a forced, cheerful smile.
"Dad, is what you're saying true?" Ye Youyou immediately opened her bright, watery eyes wide in excitement.
"Of course it's true! Come on, let's pinky promise!"
"Okay! Pinky swear, seal it tight, for a hundred years no changes allowed, whoever breaks it is a little puppy!"
Nearby, Chen Yinuo silently looked on as the father and daughter interacted.
Yet she didn't believe a single word Ye Chen had said.
Between her and Ye Chen, there would never be any possibility of a continuation—never!
Perhaps this rental apartment was also the last time she would ever return here.
"Dad, you have to come pick me and Mom up at home soon, okay!"
Reluctantly walking toward her mother Chen Yinuo, Ye Youyou looked back and said.
"Mm, Dad promised Youyou, and I will definitely do it!"
Squatting on the ground and watching Ye Youyou return to Chen Yinuo's side, Ye Chen finally stood up.
"From the time I married you until now, you've finally acted like a decent human being for once!"
After a moment's thought, Chen Yinuo still uttered these words before leaving.
With that, she took Ye Youyou by the hand and walked away.
"Yinuo, wait a second!"
As if remembering something, Ye Chen hastily called out.
Chen Yinuo ignored him and strode forward.
Seeing this, Ye Chen anxiously grabbed the brand-new, unopened laptop and blocked her path.
"Yinuo, I sold your work computer before. This is what I owe you!" Ye Chen said.
"No need!" Chen Yinuo said expressionlessly, attempting to push past him.
"If you don't take it, I won't let Youyou go with you!" Ye Chen blurted out, seizing on a quick solution.
Chen Yinuo's delicate body stiffened.
She had no doubt that Ye Chen was capable of pulling such a scoundrel stunt.
Without speaking, she stopped pushing him away. Just as Ye Chen said, this was what he owed her.
Grasping the handle of the laptop packaging box, Chen Yinuo pulled Ye Youyou along as they walked quickly.
Only when she reached the doorway did she suddenly pause in her steps.
"The hundred thousand yuan settlement fee you gave to Yihao, I will pay you back as soon as possible!"
The words fell, and her steps resumed.
Without looking back!
Left standing in a daze, Ye Chen watched the departing figures of the mother and daughter, a myriad of complex emotions swirling in his heart.
It wasn't until their figures completely vanished from his sight that he remained lost in thought for a long time.
Finally, a sudden ringing phone call snapped him out of that endless guilt and desolation.
Chapter 28 Promotion
"Mr. Ye, did you watch the municipal government's press conference just now?"
As soon as Ye Chen answered the call, Zhang Jingshan asked excitedly from the other end.
"Mm, I watched it," Ye Chen said indifferently.
"Mr. Ye, I was wrong. I should have listened to you. It was only three days, just three days! If I had shelled out ten million to buy ten units back then, I could have flipped them and made at least forty or fifty million!" Zhang Jingshan said, full of remorse.
"Alright, saying all that is useless! Anything else? If not, I'm hanging up," Ye Chen said.
Hearing that Ye Chen seemed to be in a bad mood, Zhang Jingshan was momentarily stunned.
What's going on with him?
Yet he didn't dare pry or court bad luck.
Even his previous excitement instantly plummeted.
Instead, he said, "Mr. Ye, I still don't know where you live. Tomorrow I'll come pick you up, and we'll go secure those two apartments together, how about that?"
"At the intersection of Dongpu Avenue. Call me when you get there tomorrow!"
"Got it, let's settle on that then. See you tomorrow!"
Noticing that Ye Chen's mood was off, Zhang Jingshan thought it best not to pester him further.
The call ended.
Ye Chen shook off the tangled web of thoughts in his mind.
Putting his gloves back on, he threw himself back into the process of concocting the Flawless Ointment.
The reason the Flawless Ointment became a peerless, phenomenal product in his past life—the reason why even when people privately offered one hundred million to acquire the formula through illicit means, they still had to return empty-handed—was precisely because of the cumbersome manufacturing process and the sheer number of ingredients. Coupled with the fact that the secret of the formula remained firmly in his own hands, outsiders were utterly unable to produce a competing product of comparable quality.
Therefore, given the complex procedures and the wide variety of large quantities of ingredients required, crafting the Flawless Ointment was certainly no quick task for Ye Chen.
Having intended to use the Flawless Ointment as the first step to repair his marriage, Ye Chen now just wanted to whip it up as quickly as possible without wasting any more time.
The next day, prompted by a phone call from Zhang Jingshan, Ye Chen had no choice but to take off his gloves, pick up the two copies of the deposit subscription agreements, and walk out of the rental apartment.
"Mr. Ye! Mr. Ye!"
At the intersection of Dongpu Avenue, sitting in a Land Rover with its hazard lights flashing, Zhang Jingshan leaned out of the driver's seat and waved toward Ye Chen, shouting.
Once Ye Chen got into the car, he noticed Li Changfeng sitting in the front passenger seat.
"Mr. Ye, you don't mind me tagging along for the fun, do you?" Li Changfeng smiled.
"Not at all," Ye Chen replied with a faint smile.
"Mr. Ye, thanks to you for what happened a few days ago. If it weren't for your warning, I'd probably still be lying in the ICU! The brakes failed on the South China Expressway; at my usual driving speed, crashing into a private car might have left me a sliver of life, but if I had plowed into a truck, I wouldn't even have had the chance to end up in the ICU!" Li Changfeng said from the passenger seat, still shaken with lingering fear.
Between his lines was a profound sense of gratitude.
After all, as far as Li Changfeng was concerned, Ye Chen had quite literally saved his life.
"Changfeng, Mr. Ye's wife works at your Huaxing Trading Company, right? How do you plan to repay this life-saving grace?" Zhang Jingshan asked while driving.
"I've looked into Miss Chen Yinuo's working ability. Back in the sales department, her talents were truly underutilized, so this morning I promoted her to head of the business cooperation team at Huaxing Trading," Li Changfeng said. "The title of team lead might not sound like much, but within the company, it's a special position answerable to no one except myself. Moreover, it directly handles both the supply and marketing ends of Huaxing Trading, making its importance extraordinary!"
While this sounded like an answer to Zhang Jingshan, it felt even more like it was meant for Ye Chen to hear.
Granted, even without the Ferrari incident, he would have eventually promoted Chen Yinuo. As he said, her capabilities meant working as a mere sales representative was indeed a waste of talent, though she certainly wouldn't have been made head of the business cooperation team—after all, that position was reserved for his most trusted confidants.
However, following the brake failure of the Ferrari, Ye Chen represented a life-saving benefactor to him.
And Chen Yinuo, as Ye Chen's wife, was the benefactor's wife.
Against this backdrop, given Chen Yinuo's undeniable competence, let alone making her the head of the business cooperation team, if he hadn't feared gossip and unnecessary trouble, he would have even considered making her the company's vice president.
"That's more like it!" Zhang Jingshan smiled.
Yet the corner of his eye glanced at the rearview mirror to look at Ye Chen sitting in the back seat.
"Try not to let Yinuo know about me," Ye Chen suddenly said.
Based on his understanding of his wife Chen Yinuo, if she found out her promotion and raise were connected to him, she would likely resign and walk out immediately, no matter how badly she needed the job right now.
"Understood, Mr. Ye can rest assured. I certainly won't say anything to Miss Chen!" Li Changfeng said eagerly.
With the topic concerning Chen Yinuo concluded, amidst the casual chatting of the three men along the way, Jinlin Mansion arrived!
Meanwhile, at Huaxing Trading:
"Yinuo, congratulations! Head of the business cooperation team, that is amazing!"
"Yinuo, I've always said someone with your capability belongs on the business cooperation team. Staying in the sales department was such a waste of talent!"
"Yinuo, we'll have to call you Team Leader Chen from now on!"
Following the personnel department's announcement of the new personnel transfer, the entire floor where Chen Yinuo worked was in an uproar.
Mainly because it was simply too unexpected!
If Chen Yinuo had merely been transferred into the business cooperation team, people might not have found it so surprising.
However, she wasn't just transferred there—she was placed straight in as the head of the business cooperation team! This wasn't just a simple promotion; it was a rocket-like ascent!
The business cooperation team was a special entity within Huaxing Trading, an existence that could completely ignore everyone except General Manager Li Changfeng, an existence that could tell the vice president to go cool off wherever he liked.
Under this personnel transfer, the employees who were verbally congratulating and fawning over Chen Yinuo felt something in the depths of their hearts that could no longer be described merely as envy, jealousy, and hatred.
Yet what they couldn't figure out was this: while Chen Yinuo's work capability was indeed exceptionally brilliant, logically speaking, it shouldn't have been enough to get her promoted straight to head of the business cooperation team overnight. Could there be something fishy going on behind the scenes?
They weren't the only ones with this thought.
Amidst the envious, jealous, and hateful congratulatory remarks and flattery, Chen Yinuo was also utterly bewildered to the extreme.
Even though her work capability was plain for all to see, she had never dared to dream about a promotion; she would have been satisfied just keeping her current job.
Yet now, the company had suddenly promoted her to head of the business cooperation team?
Chen Yinuo genuinely felt that all of this was too unrealistic, far too dreamlike.
If not for the fact that pinching her own flesh hurt, and if not for having confirmed it repeatedly and accurately with the personnel department, she would have thought she was dreaming, or at the very least, that the personnel department had made a massive mistake.
However, before Chen Yinuo could even respond to the congratulations and flattery of her colleagues, Vice President Wang Tao walked over with a gloomy, icy expression on his face.
Stopping beside Chen Yinuo, he sneered with heavy sarcasm, "Chen Yinuo—oh wait, I should call you Team Leader Chen now. It seems I really underestimated you. Not only did you manage to secure a contract with a quotation ten percent lower than the competitor, but you even got Yunshan Network to explicitly name you as the only person they would accept to manage their cooperation. And now, without any warning, you get promoted to head of the business cooperation team. Breaking through all these obstacles the way you did is truly unprecedented, and I suppose it'll never happen again, huh? However, I heard that Manager Yang from Yunshan Network wasn't willing to renew the contract at first, but later you went and found Zhang Jingshan, the president of Yuntian Company, right?"
The surrounding people listened and froze.
Why did Vice President Wang's words sound so off?
Was there some other story behind this?
"Yes, so what?" Chen Yinuo's heart trembled.
"Nothing much! Just saying you're quite capable and resourceful, being able to win over even that playboy president who passes through countless flowers. Not simple at all! I reckon not just the people in our company have to envy you, even those female streamers at Yunshan Network must envy you. I really underestimated Team Leader Chen!" Wang Tao taunted playfully.
Swish!
In an instant, those employees seemed to understand a few things.
The looks they cast toward Chen Yinuo changed completely.
Chapter 29 This is a Half-Immortal
"Wang Tao, what do you mean by that!"
Chen Yinuo wasn't stupid. Wang Tao's words had hidden implications, and how could she not hear or sense the way her colleagues were looking at her?
Her eyes instantly flushed red, and unable to bear it any longer, she called out Wang Tao's full name directly.
"I don't mean anything by it, just saying Team Leader Chen is quite capable and knows how to get things done, hehe!"
Putting heavy emphasis on the word "done," Wang Tao sneered and swung away.
"He's talking nonsense! It's not like what he said!"
As soon as Wang Tao left, Chen Yinuo, surrounded by those strange, judgmental gazes, anxiously tried to explain.
"Mm, we understand!"
Although her colleagues verbally claimed to understand, the strange expressions on their faces all betrayed their disbelief.
Without Wang Tao's insinuation, they might not have associated it with that sort of thing.
But once prompted by Wang Tao, they immediately concluded that Chen Yinuo must have latched onto that playboy president of Yunshan Network.
As for how she latched onto him, it was nothing more than those sorts of things—everyone understood...
Otherwise, how could one explain Chen Yinuo winning that contract? How could one explain Yunshan Network specifically naming only Chen Yinuo to manage their contracts? How could one explain that the contract was signed by Yunshan's president, Zhang Jingshan? How could one explain Chen Yinuo being promoted to head of the business cooperation team without any warning?
When abnormal things happen, there must be demons at play.
It seemed that Chen Yinuo's promotion to head of the business cooperation team was nine times out of ten due to the president of Yunshan Network, Zhang Jingshan, pulling strings with the boss of Huaxing Trading.
On the other hand, Chen Yinuo felt even more aggrieved amidst the understanding nods born of those suspicious looks.
How could she not know what these people were thinking in their hearts?
It was just that the current situation made her feel that any further explanation on her part would be futile and would only make things look even worse.
Unless she resigned to prove her innocence, but wouldn't that just play right into the hands of that pretentious scoundrel Wang Tao? And what about her and Youyou's livelihood?
No, she was going to use her strength to speak, to prove to everyone with her ability that the company's decision to promote her to head of the business cooperation team was a wise move!
Jinlin Mansion.
The Land Rover came to a halt.
Except for Ye Chen, Zhang Jingshan and Li Changfeng were both dumbfounded.
Because outside the sales office ahead, under the temporarily erected sunshades, the scene was utterly packed to the brim with people!
Amidst the deafening roar of voices and a massive queue winding in a long line, everyone was unmistakably there to buy apartments.
Compared to the desolate, visitor-free scene from three days ago, this was a complete upheaval.
The developer had even hung up a banner announcing that the lottery would begin at 2:00 PM today, with priority given to those who could verify their assets for full-payment purchases.
A residential property that nobody cared about a few days ago had now transformed into an arena where you had to step aside if you didn't have full cash ready.
"Mr. Ye, did we really come to Jinlin Mansion?"
Zhang Jingshan asked in a daze.
Although he knew that after last night's press conference, Jinlin Mansion would become the hottest residential complex in all of Jiangzhou, he never expected it to become hot to this extent.
"It just goes to show that people nowadays aren't lacking in foresight when it comes to real estate investment. I'm not surprised by this scene at all. For quite a long time to come, properties in Jinlin Mansion will be virtually impossible to secure," Ye Chen said.
"Mr. Ye, may I boldly ask you something? How did you know that the properties in Jinlin Mansion would skyrocket in value? Did you have some kind of insider information?" Zhang Jingshan asked, hesitating as he voiced the doubt that had been bottled up inside him for a long time.
"No insider info, just intuition. I've always trusted my intuition!"
Ye Chen walked forward with an air of breezy detachment.
Although calling it intuition sounded a bit far-fetched, he couldn't care less whether Zhang Jingshan and Li Changfeng believed him or not.
"I knew it, it's always intuition!" The corners of Zhang Jingshan's mouth twitched.
"How is this just intuition?!"